DOUG LEMOV is a managing director of Uncommon Schools, which runs forty-nine high-performing urban charter schools. Doug is the author of Teach Like a Champion, Reading Reconsidered, and Practice Perfect.

JOAQUIN HERNANDEZ is an associate director of professional development at Uncommon Schools, where he studies classroom instruction to identify and write about highly effective teacher and instructional coaching practices. He also designs classroom resources, as well as online and in-person teacher training.

JENNIFER KIM is an associate director of professional development at Uncommon Schools, where she studies classroom instruction to identify highly effective teacher and instructional coaching practices, designs training, facilitates professional development, and helps drive special projects on the team.

DVD Contents xi

Acknowledgments xvii

The Authors xviii

About Uncommon Schools xix

Introduction 1

A Map to the Themes and Techniques 8

Part 1 Check for Understanding

Chapter 1 Gathering Data on Student Mastery

Technique 1 Reject Self-Report 9

Replace functionally rhetorical questions with more objective forms of impromptu assessment.

Technique 2 Targeted Questioning 17

Ask a quick series of carefully chosen, open-ended questions directed at a strategic sample of the class.

Technique 3 Standardize the Format 25

Streamline observations by designing materials and space so that you’re looking in a consistent place for the data you need.

Technique 4 Tracking, Not Watching 53

Be intentional about how you observe. Decide specifically what you’re looking for and remain disciplined about it in the face of distractions.

Technique 5 Show Me 67

Flip the classroom dynamic. Have students actively show Evidence of their understanding.

Technique 6 Affirmative Checking 81

Insert specific points into your lesson when students must get confirmation that their work is correct before moving on to the next stage.

Chapter 2 Acting on the Data and the Culture of Error

Technique 7 Plan for Error 89

Increase the likelihood that you’ll recognize and respond to errors by planning for common mistakes in advance.

Technique 8 Culture of Error 105

Create an environment where your students feel safe making and discussing mistakes, so you can spend less time hunting for errors and more time fixing them.

Technique 9 Excavate Error 115

Dig into errors, studying them efficiently and effectively, to better understand and learn from the places where students struggle.

Technique 10 Own and Track 127

Have students track their corrections after studying errors.

Part 2 Academic Ethos

Chapter 3 Setting High Academic Expectations

Technique 11 No Opt Out 139

Turn “I don’t know” into success by ensuring that students who won’t try or can’t answer practice getting it right.

Technique 12 Right is Right 155

When you respond to answers in class, hold out for answers that are “all-the-way right” or up to your standards of rigor.

Technique 13 Stretch it 169

Reward “right” answers with harder questions.

Technique 14 Format Matters 185

Help your students practice responding in a format that communicates the value of their ideas.

Technique 15 Without Apology 199

Embrace—rather than apologize for—rigorous content, academic challenge, and the hard work necessary to scholarship.

Chapter 4 Planning for Success

Technique 16 Begin with the End 211

Progress from unit planning to lesson planning. Define the objective, decide how you’ll assess it, and then choose appropriate lesson activities.

Technique 17 4 Ms 221

Use four criteria to write an effective lesson plan objective, making it manageable, measurable, made first, and most important.

Technique 18 Post it 229

Display your lesson objective where everyone can see it and identify your purpose.

Technique 19 Double Plan 235

As you develop a lesson, plan what students will be doing at each point in class.

Chapter 5 Lesson Structure

Technique 20 Do Now 245

Use a short warm-up activity that students can complete without instruction or direction from you to start class every day. This lets the learning start even before you begin teaching.

Technique 21 Name the Steps 257

Break down complex tasks into steps that form a path for student mastery.

Technique 22 Board = Paper 265

Model and shape how students should take notes in order to capture the information teachers present.

Technique 23 Control the Game 271

Ask students to read aloud frequently, but manage the process to ensure expressiveness, accountability, and engagement.

Technique 24 Circulate 279

Move strategically around the room during all parts of the lesson.

Technique 25 At Bats 287

Succeeding once or twice won’t bring mastery; give your students lots and lots of practice mastering knowledge or skills.

Technique 26 Exit Ticket 293

End each class with an assessment of your objective to evaluate your (and your students’) success.

Chapter 6 Pacing

Technique 27 Change the Pace 303

Create “fast” or “slow” moments in a lesson by shifting activity types or formats.

Technique 28 Brighten Lines 313

Make lesson activities begin and end crisply so students perceive the changes.

Technique 29 All Hands 321

Leverage hand raising to positively impact pacing. Manage and vary the ways that students raise their hands, as well as the methods you use to call on them.

Technique 30 Work the Clock 329

Measure time—your greatest resource as a teacher—intentionally and often visibly to shape your students’ experience in the classroom.

Technique 31 Every Minute Matters 335

Respect students’ time by spending every minute productively.

Part 3 Ratio

Chapter 7 Building Ratio through Questioning

Technique 32 Wait Time 339

Allow students time to think before they answer. If they aren’t productive with that time, narrate them toward being more productive.

Technique 33 Cold Call 349

Call on students regardless of whether they’ve raised their hands.

Technique 34 Call and Response 359

Ask your class to answer questions in unison from time to time to build energetic, positive engagement.

Technique 35 Break it Down 369

When a student makes an error, provide just enough help to allow her to “solve” as much of the original problem as she can.

Technique 36 Pepper 377

Use Pepper as a fast-paced, vocal review to build energy and actively engage your class.

Chapter 8 Building Ratio through Writing

Technique 37 Everybody Writes 385

Give students the chance to reflect in writing before you ask them to discuss.

Technique 38 Art of the Sentence 395

Ask students to synthesize a complex idea in a single, well-crafted sentence. The discipline of having to make one sentence do all the work pushes students to use new syntactical forms.

Technique 39 Show Call 405

Create a strong incentive to complete writing with quality and thoughtfulness, by publicly showcasing and revising student writing—regardless of who volunteers to share.

Technique 40 Build Stamina 421

Help your students develop the ability to write for sustained periods of time.

Technique 41 Front the Writing 427

Arrange lessons so that writing comes early in the sequence of activities.

Chapter 9 Building Ratio through Discussion

Technique 42 Habits of Discussion 431

Use a consistent set of ground rules to help student discussions to be more efficient, cohesive, and connected.

Technique 43 Turn and Talk 439

Encourage students to better formulate their thoughts by including short, contained pair discussions—but make sure to design them for maximum efficiency and accountability.

Technique 44 Batch Process 453

Allow student discussion without teacher mediation, at times.

Part 4 Five Principles of Classroom Culture

Chapter 10 Systems and Routines

Technique 45 Threshold 459

Meet your students at the door; set expectations before they enter the classroom.

Technique 46 Strong Start 469

Design and establish an efficient routine for students to enter the classroom and begin class.

Technique 47 STAR/SLANT 483

Teach students key baseline behaviors for learning, such as sitting up in class and tracking the speaker, by using a memorable acronym such as STAR or SLANT.

Technique 48 Engineer Efficiency 491

Teach students simple, fast procedures for executing key Classroom tasks, then practice to turn the procedure into a routine.

Technique 49 Strategic Investment: From Procedure to Routine 503

Turn procedures into routines by rehearsing and reinforcing until excellence becomes habitual. Routinizing a key procedure requires clear expectations, consistency, and, most important, patience. Even so, it’s almost always worth it.

Technique 50 Do it Again 517

Give students more practice when they’re not up to speed—not just doing something again, but doing it better and striving to do their best.

Chapter 11 High Behavioral Expectations

Technique 51 Radar/Be Seen Looking 527

Prevent nonproductive behavior by developing your ability to see it when it happens and by subtly reminding students that you are looking.

Technique 52 Make Compliance Visible 535

Ensure that students follow through on requests by asking for actions you can observe.

Technique 53 Least Invasive Intervention 541

Maximize teaching time and minimize “drama” by using the subtlest and least invasive tactic possible to correct off-task students.

Technique 54 Firm Calm Finesse 549

Establish an environment of purpose and respect by maintaining your own poise.

Technique 55 Art of the Consequence 557

Ensure that consequences, when needed, are more effective by making them quick, incremental, consistent, and depersonalized.

Technique 56 Strong Voice 573

Affirm your authority through intentional verbal and nonverbal habits, especially at moments when you most need students to follow through.

Technique 57 What to Do 583

Use specific, concrete, sequential, and observable directions to make sure they are clear to students.

Chapter 12 Building Character and Trust

Technique 58 Positive Framing 593

Motivate and inspire students by using a positive tone to deliver constructive feedback.

Technique 59 Precise Praise 605

Make your positive reinforcement strategic. Differentiate between acknowledgment and praise.

Technique 60 Warm/Strict 617

Be both warm and strict at the same time to send a message of high expectations, caring, and respect.

Technique 61 Emotional Constancy 627

Manage your emotions to consistently promote student learning and achievement.

Technique 62 Joy Factor 639

Celebrate the work of learning as you go.

Index 651

How to Access the Online Contents 673

How to Use the DVD 675

More Ways to Engage and Learn with Teach Like a Champion 676

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